February 1, 1940 to May 10, 2018
TEWKSBURY - Walter F. Spillane Jr. died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, May 10, 2018. He was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on February 1, 1940 to Walter F. Spillane Sr. and Irene A. Goudreau. Walter, affectionately called Sonny, was a devoted father, a talented woodworker, and a patient fisherman. He married his high school sweetheart, Jean Lambert, in 1960 and they raised their family of four children for nearly 40 years in Tewksbury, Mass. Walter worked for the Lowell Gas Company for more than 30 years as a heating technician and dispatcher.
Walter was known for his keen sense of humor and his ability to make others laugh. He loved the outdoors and on any given day could be found fishing in his canoe on the Shawsheen River, spending time in his vegetable garden, or pitching horseshoes in his backyard. He was a homebody who resisted traveling any further than his living room, but that’s what made it so easy for his own children go far and return home. Walter could always be counted on to be there.
Walter leaves behind his daughter Theresa and her husband David Allen of Greenwood Village, Colorado, his daughter Lisa Hommel and her partner Dennis Hunt of Taunton, MA, and his daughter Bonnie Jean Spillane and her partner Stephen Wells of Toronto, ON. He also leaves behind his grandchildren: Caitlin Ghoshal, William Allen, Kerri Guyer, Michael Hommel, Mercedes and Alejandro Gaztambide, and Melanie and Katrina Spillane, as well as two great grandchildren Sloane Ghoshal and Jamison Guyer. He is also survived by his brother, Bernard, and wife Claire Spillane. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Jean Marie Spillane, and by his son Thomas S. Spillane, and his beloved dog, Colby. Walter has touched the lives of many over the years and will be missed by family and friends.
Visiting hours for Walter will be held on Tuesday morning, May 15 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Tewksbury Funeral Home, corner of 1 Dewey and 975 Main Sts. (Rte. 38) , Tewksbury. A Mass will be offered at 11:30 a.m. at St. Williams Church, 1351 Main St. (Rte. 38), followed by a burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lynn, MA at 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to The Arthritis Research Foundation, 5354 E. 2nd St., Ste. 201, Long Beach, CA 90803 or at curearthritis.org. see: tewksburyfuneralhome.com